Today's Mining Pulse
Chinese financing fuels a $98 billion mineral power shift
A wave of $98 billion in Chinese financing and heightened U.S. diplomatic activity has thrust critical minerals into the geopolitical spotlight. Resource‑rich nations such as the DRC, Brazil and Zambia are leveraging their mineral wealth to negotiate better terms and assert greater control over strategic industries.
Also developing:
AstroForge Targets 2026 Asteroid Landing as Investors Chase Trillion‑Dollar Space Mining Dream
California‑based AstroForge announced plans to launch a second asteroid‑targeting spacecraft later in 2026, hoping to achieve the first commercial asteroid landing. The move has investors eyeing the venture as a potential trillion‑dollar play alongside SpaceX’s looming $1.5 trillion IPO.
Gold ETFs GLD, SLVP and SGDM Show Divergent Risk‑Return Profiles, Shaping Options Strategies
SPDR Gold Shares (GLD) offers low‑volatility, high‑liquidity exposure to physical gold, while iShares SLVP and Sprott SGDM deliver higher returns but greater drawdowns through mining equities. The contrast is prompting options traders to tailor strategies around each ETF’s risk‑return profile.
US Supports 5N Plus Germanium Refinery Expansion in Utah
US backs 5N Plus to expand germanium refining in Utah and strengthen strategic domestic supply. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/04/us-germanium-refining-expansion-gains.html
Implats Keeps 1H26 PGM Output Flat, Zimbabwe Offsets SA Decline
Implats held PGM output nearly flat in 1H26 as Zimbabwe growth offset weaker South African mine performance. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/04/implats-pgm-output-holds-steady-as.html
MP Materials Posts $149.4 M Loss as USA Rare Earth Shares Drop 19.9% in March
MP Materials recorded a $149.4 million operating loss for 2025, extending a ten‑quarter streak of negative margins, while USA Rare Earth’s shares slid 19.9% in March despite positive operational news. The twin setbacks underscore financial pressure on the domestic rare‑earth supply...
EU's Own Sanctions Undermine
The irony is: the EU reduced its dependence on Russia to improve "energy security"! Slovak PM says EU should drop sanctions on Russian oil and gas to boost energy security https://t.co/FmUhPkAcgE
Tariffs and Middle East Conflict Drive Aluminum Prices Sky‑High
Aluminum prices are up over 83% YoY. First, Trump’s tariffs strained supply. Now war in Iran is cutting Gulf imports that supply 20% of US aluminum imports. TRUMP’S TARIFFS + TRUMP’S WAR = A BIG BILL FOR AMERICANS. https://t.co/M0EPxDjZSN
Top 50 Mining Companies Power Through Iran War – up $250 Billion in 2026
The MINING.COM Top 50 miners posted a combined market capitalization of $2.41 trillion at the end of Q1 2026, up roughly $250 billion from the start of 2025. Despite the onset of the US‑Iran conflict and a sharp drop in gold and silver prices,...
Jubilee Updates Molefe Mine Plan to Boost Copper Production and Efficiency in Zambia
Jubilee Holdings has released an updated near‑term mine plan for its Molefe operation in Zambia, integrating pits 2 and 3 into a single open‑pit and targeting over 15,000 tonnes of ore per month to the Sable refinery. The plan introduces automated ore sorting...
Lindian Resources Secures $100 Million to Advance Kangankunde Rare Earths Project in Malawi
Australian ASX‑listed Lindian Resources has secured $100 million to fund the first stage of its Kangankunde Rare Earths Project in Malawi. The high‑grade deposit, rich in dysprosium and terbium, is slated to begin production in 2026 and will be developed debt‑free,...
West African Resources Forecasts Record Gold Production in 2026 Driven by Kiaka and Sanbrado Mines
West African Resources projects 2026 gold output of 430,000‑490,000 ounces, driven by the Kiaka and Sanbrado mines. Kiaka is expected to deliver 240,000‑280,000 ounces while Sanbrado adds 190,000‑210,000 ounces. The company targets an all‑in sustaining cost below $1,900 per ounce,...
DRC Diamond Exports Reach $67 Million in 2025, Driven Largely by Artisanal Mining
The Democratic Republic of Congo exported roughly $67 million worth of diamonds in 2025, equivalent to over 9 million carats. Artisanal miners produced 85% of the country’s diamonds, generating about $54 million in export revenue, while industrial mining contributed just $13 million. The industrial...
Prospect Resources Confirms Expanding Copper System at West Mwombezhi in Zambia
Prospect Resources Limited announced final assay results from Phase 2 diamond drilling at the West Mwombezhi prospect in Zambia’s Mumbezhi Copper Project, confirming a continuous near‑surface copper sulphide system extending over one kilometre along strike. Intersections include 8.9 m at 0.78 % Cu...
The Two-Week Window That Could Break Global Commodity Markets
A fragile web of commodity chains—oil, gas, naphtha, fertilizer, helium and logistics—is shifting from price volatility to deliverability risk. Physical shortages are surfacing even as paper markets appear stable, and the next two weeks could see cascading disruptions that spark...
TRX Gold Is A Conditional Buy (A Technical Analysis)
TRX Gold Corp., a junior gold miner operating exclusively in Tanzania, is positioned as a high‑risk, high‑reward play. The analyst issues a conditional Buy, contingent on a three‑year horizon, gold prices staying above $3,000 per ounce, and investor tolerance for...
Goldman Sachs Has Blunt Message on Gold Price for Rest of 2026
Gold experienced its steepest monthly drop since 2013, sliding more than 10% in March 2026. Despite the sell‑off, Goldman Sachs reaffirmed its year‑end 2026 gold price target of $5,400 per ounce, up from $4,900 earlier in the year. The bank’s...
Iron Ore Prices Slip for Second Week as Chinese Stockpiles Near Record
Iron ore prices fell for a second consecutive week, with the Dalian contract down 0.81% to 797 Yuan ($115.85) per tonne and the Singapore benchmark down 2% to $105.15. The slide reflects rising Chinese port inventories, which rose 0.5% to 177.5 million...
Seequent’s Role in Augmenting Geoscience Expertise
Seequent, Bentley Subsurface’s geoscience software arm, is tackling the data‑quality bottleneck that hampers AI adoption in mining. Its latest Geoprofessionals Data Management Report shows specialists spend roughly a third of their time on data chores, yet fewer than 40% have...
GAC Subsidiary Sells Lithium Mining Stake to Controlling Shareholder, Raising 1.92 Billion Yuan
GAC Group’s subsidiary Youpai Energy is selling a 12% stake in Xinjiang Kunlun Lanzuan Mining Development for roughly ¥1.92 billion (about $270 million) to the automaker’s controlling shareholder, Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group. The deal reduces Youpai’s holding from 20% to 8%, turning...
Massachusetts Residents Battle 4 Million‑Cubic‑Yard Sand Mining Expansion
Homeowners in Cranberry Village are confronting A.D. Makepeace’s plan to extract roughly 4 million cubic yards of sand over five years, arguing the operation creates chronic noise and airborne sand. State legislators have moved a bill to pause new sand‑excavation permits...
Tata Steel Hit with $212 Million Excess‑Mining Demand as Share Price Slides
Tata Steel has been served a Rs 1,755 crore (about $212 million) demand notice for alleged over‑mining in Jharkhand. The steelmaker plans to appeal the order as its shares tumble amid broader market weakness, highlighting regulatory risk for India's heavy‑industry sector.
The Fight to Save India’s Ancient Aravallis From Rampant Mining
The Aravalli mountain range, a two‑billion‑year‑old ecological barrier in north‑western India, faces severe degradation from commercial and illegal mining, with 29,209 violations recorded between 2018 and 2023. Over 65 minerals—including lead, zinc, marble and limestone—are being extracted, driving groundwater depletion,...
Full Flowsheet, Full Lifecycle: FLS Sharpens Its Performance Focus
FLS, a leading mining‑process equipment provider, now delivers solutions across the entire mineral‑processing flowsheet, from crushing to tailings management. In a Mineral Processing Report 2026 interview, CEO Qasim Abrahams highlighted how advanced digital technology, process optimisation, and full‑lifecycle services are...
The Mineral Processing Report 2026 Is Here!
The Mineral Processing Report 2026 has been released, offering a data‑driven deep dive into the sector’s most pressing trends, technologies, and competitive landscape. It underscores rising global demand for greater efficiency, sustainability, and productivity across mining operations. The report examines...
Copper's Resilience Signals Structural Demand, Build Positions Now
The remarkable resilience of copper prices given what we’re seeing across markets cannot be ignored. It’s striking how the metal is evolving from a traditional cyclical gauge of economic activity to one increasingly driven by structural demand and a tightening supply...
The Dangerous Process of Mining Himalayan Pink Salt in Pakistan's Khewra Mine
The Khewra mine in Pakistan’s Punjab province supplies roughly 30 % of the world’s Himalayan pink salt, a premium ingredient driving about $300 million in annual exports. Workers, many of them teenagers, extract the salt manually in narrow tunnels, often without respirators...
Lundin Gold Locks $1.1 Billion Silver Streaming Deal with LunR Royalties
Lundin Gold Inc. announced a definitive silver streaming agreement with Canada‑based LunR Royalties Corp., exchanging a life‑of‑mine silver stream for 50,505,051 LunR common shares. The deal, slated to close in Q2 2026, will be paid out as a dividend‑in‑kind, expanding...
Sixth Week of Hormuz War Sparks Oil Demand Destruction
The Third Gulf War (aka, the ‘Hormuz War’) is entering into its 6th week, at the very end of the initial White House guidance of a 4-6 week campaign. For the oil market, we are into demand destruction territory, although...
Indonesia's Weda Bay Achieves On‑Spec MHP Production
BSE produced on-spec MHP at Weda Bay, marking a key HPAL commissioning step in Indonesia’s nickel battery chain. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/04/bse-on-spec-mhp-output-marks-new-step.html
Projecting Environmental Improvements in Mineral Processing Pathways: The Case of Cathode Active Material Production
A new methodological framework evaluates future technological switches in mineral processing, focusing on cathode active material (CAM) production. By modeling seven switch categories, the study projects substantial environmental gains—up to 86% lower greenhouse‑gas impact, 99.8% reduction in human carcinogenic toxicity,...
Liontown Lithium Sales Surge 38% on Kathleen Ramp
Liontown lithium sales rose 38pc in 4Q 2025 as Kathleen Valley ramped up and auction pricing added upside. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/04/liontown-lithium-sales-jump-as-kathleen.html
Strait of Hormuz Now Central as Vulnerabilities Rise
“They've demonstrated to the Gulf states how vulnerable they are and how vulnerable the global economy is,” said a European official briefed on diplomatic efforts to end the war. “So the price has gone up. The Strait of Hormuz never...
A Dimension-Stone-Specific GIS-AHP Framework for Regional Quarry Suitability Screening in Under-Mapped Precambrian Basement: Application to Cameroon’s West Region, Central African...
Researchers introduced a GIS‑AHP framework tailored to dimension‑stone quarry screening in Cameroon’s West Region, a Precambrian basement area largely unmapped for mining potential. The model integrates nine geological, environmental, topographic and infrastructural criteria, producing a weighted‑overlay suitability map that classifies...
Caterpillar Forecasts Robust 2026 Demand From Backlog, Energy, Mining
Caterpillar sees strong 2026 demand backed by a record order backlog, energy growth, and firmer mining equipment demand. https://www.metalnomist.com/2026/04/caterpillar-2026-demand-outlook-turns.html
IRGC Lets Iraqi Oil Ships Through, yet Attacks Fields
So… the Iranian IRGC exempts ships carrying Iraqi oil and allows them to sail through the Hormuz Strait, but drone attacks on Iraqi oil fields continue. https://t.co/PoAWXPyVEz
PH7 Technologies Targets Tough Ores with Cleaner, Closed-Loop Processing
pH7 Technologies is expanding its Vancouver facility to scale recovery of platinum‑group metals and strengthen Canadian critical‑metal supply chains. The company secured up to C$4 million ($2.8 million) in NRC IRAP funding to accelerate its proprietary organo‑electrochemical platform that extracts PGMs without...
One‑Third of Global Helium Locked Away, Raising Supply Risks
A Third of the World’s Helium Is Trapped. Here’s What That Means. https://t.co/3nC0gUclwq via @hedgeye
India Resumes Iranian Oil Imports After Sanctions Eased
New Delhi confirms its buying oil from Iran (after US eased sanctions): “… Indian refiners have secured their crude oil requirements, including from Iran; and there is no payment hurdle for Iranian crude imports…”
Steel Cooling: Steel Costs Steadily Decline After Pandemic Price Shock
Steel prices have continued a steady decline, with the national average for structural steel falling to roughly $2,344 per ton in January 2026. That represents a 5.38% drop from the previous quarter and a 7.18% decrease year‑over‑year, extending a correction...
US and Israel Strike Iran's Major Khuzestan Petrochemical Complexes
According to Iranian media, the US and Israel have attacked several large petrochemical sites in the Khuzestan province near the border with Iraq. The area between Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini are home to some of the Iranian largest petrochemical complexes.
US Interior Forms Marine Minerals Administration for Offshore Resources
The US Interior Department said it’s merging two oversight agencies to create a Marine Minerals Administration and move toward a “more modern, coordinated approach” to managing offshore resources, including critical minerals https://t.co/93zG6cCxNI
Petrobras Extends Contracts for Two Drillships Offshore Brazil
Petrobras has extended its contracts with Transocean for the Deepwater Orion and Deepwater Aquila drillships, adding 1,095 days to Orion and 365 days to Aquila. The Orion extension, running through March 2030, is expected to generate about $420 million in incremental backlog,...
Global Battery Materials Ships First Graphite Samples to US Customer, Opens Quebec Processing Lab
Global Battery Materials (GBM) has shipped its first natural graphite samples from the Kearney Mine in Ontario to an unnamed U.S. customer for qualification testing, marking the inaugural step in a North American supply chain. Simultaneously, GBM opened a new...
Trump Loses Grip as Oil Surge Signals Deeper Crisis
Oil prices surged past $140 a barrel as renewed U.S.-Iran tensions reignited market bullishness, pushing WTI and Brent to levels not seen since 2008. OPEC+ is weighing a 206,000‑barrel‑per‑day production increase for May, despite most members having cut output amid...
Soybean Prices Capped at $12 Amid Record Brazil Output
Soybean's $12 Ceiling Alongside $120 Crude Oil It may take some combination of WTI crude oil staying above $100 a barrel, a poor Brazilian crop and a Corn Belt drought for soybeans to stay above $12 a bushel. Alongside crude's spike...
Half Global Sulfur Flows Through Hormuz, Fueling Industry
John Dizard nailed this one in The Institutional Risk Analyst w/ @rcwhalen: "Most, around half, of sulfur in the world goes through the Strait of Hormuz. You need sulfuric acid in order to produce copper, steel, nickel...you really need it to...
Hindustan Zinc Mined Metal Production up 2% in 2025-26; Silver Down 9%
Hindustan Zinc Ltd reported a 2 % rise in mined metal output for FY 2025‑26, reaching a record 1,114 kt, driven by higher ore tonnage and improved grades. Refined zinc production grew 3 % to 851 kt, while refined lead fell 13 % to 197 kt, pulling...
Copper Cheap vs Gold; Need Eight New Escondidas by 2030
Copper is up over the last decade but trading at an almost four-decade relative low against hard money gold. Chile's Escondida mine in the Atacama desert is the world's biggest copper mine. The world needs eight new Escondidas by 2030. https://t.co/ogTy5RdE0y
Oil Futures Curve Contradicts White House’s Iran Disruption Claim
White House top economic adviser Kevin Hassett says the oil futures market agrees Iran is a short-term disruption. Apparently he means the shape of the oil futures curve, which is massively backwardated (or inverted, if you prefer that terminology). Now, who’s...
Shearwater and Searcher Wrap up 3D Seismic Acquisition in Brazil’s Pelotas Basin
Norway’s Shearwater GeoServices and Australia‑based Searcher have finished Phase Three of a multi‑client 3D seismic campaign in Brazil’s Pelotas Basin, adding 7,500 km² of high‑resolution data. The new acquisition brings the regional library to over 17,000 km², complementing the 9,500 km² gathered in earlier...